


he's gonna save me, call me baby, run his hands through my hair

by divorceadvocate



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Alternate Universe, English Teacher Juno Steel, Fluff, Hairdresser Peter Nureyev, M/M, Other, also Ben isnt a huge focus in this? hes in one of the scenes but hes There, ill probably make this a series?? depending on if ppl like it, its mainly jupeter and gay haircuts, this is my everything is fine and no one is in pain ever AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:48:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24394531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/divorceadvocate/pseuds/divorceadvocate
Summary: “The name is Duke, Duke Rose,” the man said, coming up behind Juno and draping a black cape over him, fastening it around his neck. “It’s so lovely to make your acquaintance. Now, what were you looking for today, Mister Steel?” Juno opened his mouth to speak, but nearly forgot how to when Duke ran his hands through his hair, slow, starting at the nape of his neck and making his way towards Juno’s hairline.“Um. I don’t know, something that won’t make my friends recoil in disgust and ask if I’m getting enough sleep when they see me next,” Juno said, trying his damn best not to lean into his touch.Duke laughed, and continued running his hands through Juno’s hair, seemingly lost in thought. “I hope you get a little more out of this cut than that,” he purred.
Relationships: Peter Nureyev/Juno Steel
Comments: 50
Kudos: 259





	he's gonna save me, call me baby, run his hands through my hair

**Author's Note:**

> this is just a tooth rottingly fluffy au ive been cooking up for a while... they deserve to be happy and not have (too much) trauma, okay!! damn.

Juno squinted at the address on his comms that Vicky had texted him, and then back at the hair salon he was standing in front of. It seemed out of place among the rest of the buildings on this street of Hyperion City. Everything else around him was run down and looked like it had one or twelve code violations, advertising shady businesses with neon lights that hid even shadier businesses. But this place? It was spotless, pristine, like something pulled straight from one of those interior design streams that Rita watched in the staff room. The walls outside were a deep, royal purple, and the sign outside looked as though it was hand-painted, declaring itself ‘The Rose Garden’ with looping cursive, painted flowers and vines twisting around the letters with a single pair of delicate scissors poised to snip them off. 

  


Vicky had run into Juno a few days prior, had remarked on how awful his hair looked, and then recommended this place to him, saying she’d even book the appointment for him. That was just like Vicky; insult him and do him a favor in the same breath. Usually he trusted her recommendations; Vicky had taste, he would give her that. But the unease he felt, the way his hair stood up on end as he stepped in and immediately got red dirt all over the previously clean marble tile, had him doubting his decision to agree to all of this. 

  


The salon was just as fancy and obnoxious on the inside. Everything was clean and organized, and the wallpaper was inlaid with gold, because of course it was. Pictures were hung of models sporting hairstyles that the salon had given them, avant garde cuts and colors that Juno would rather die than see on himself. There were several stations set up throughout the salon, and every person getting their hair done looked like their spare change was more than his monthly rent. He was just about ready to turn on his heel and walk out of there and give himself a haircut with his clippers in his bathroom mirror when a man stepped behind the front desk from seemingly out of nowhere.

  


He was tall. Like, really fucking tall. He was all angles, long and lean, with a jawline that Juno could probably cut his hand on. He looked down his glasses at Juno, and his eyes were so damn bright that they nearly blinded him on the spot, and when he smiled, his sharp teeth practically glinted. Every employee in the place looked put-together, sure, but this guy had taken it a step further than anyone else; the expensive looking jewelry that dangled off of his ears matched his numerous rings, his purple lipstick was the same color as the velvet pants he wore, and his eyeliner was just as sharp as the scissors that peeked out of his apron. 

  


“Hello, and welcome to The Rose Garden. Do you have an appointment, love?” the man asked, and it took Juno’s brain a second to catch up with what was happening in order to respond. 

  


“Uh, yeah, I do, should be under Valles Vicky?” 

  


The man’s eyes lit up even more somehow. “Oh, then you must be Juno Steel, yes? Vicky told me you’d be stopping by today,” he said, stepping away from the desk. “Follow me, dear, we’ll get you taken care of.” 

  


Juno trailed behind the man, and acted like the casual pet names weren’t making his cheeks redden. They walked past the other stations to one tucked in the back of the salon, one that was a little bigger and had products that looked a little more high-end. He gestured to the seat in front of it, and Juno sat down, wincing slightly at the way the black leather squeaked. 

  


He looked in the mirror and stared back at his own reflection, at the man behind him grabbing different supplies and tools, and couldn’t help but feel even more out of place. The man was so elegant, every motion practiced and poised. Juno felt like a street rat in comparison with his several year old skirt, wrinkled turtleneck, his uneven eyeshadow, and the trench coat covered in patches that he tried to subtly fold in his lap. 

  


“The name is Duke, Duke Rose,” the man said, coming up behind Juno and draping a black cape over him, fastening it around his neck. “It’s so lovely to make your acquaintance. Now, what were you looking for today, Mister Steel?” Juno opened his mouth to speak, but nearly forgot how to when Duke ran his hands through his hair, slow, starting at the nape of his neck and making his way towards Juno’s hairline. 

  


“Um. I don’t know, something that won’t make my friends recoil in disgust and ask if I’m getting enough sleep when they see me next,” Juno said, trying his damn best not to lean into his touch. 

  


Duke laughed, and continued running his hands through Juno’s hair, seemingly lost in thought. “I hope you get a little more out of this cut than that,” he purred. “Now, tell me, Vicky and I talked briefly and she said you were a teacher, is that correct?”

  


Juno nodded. “Yep, I teach high school language arts in Old Town,” he explained. 

  


Duke hummed, tilting Juno’s head this way and that, his fingertips firm but reassuring where they pressed into his temples. “So something a little more professional than this, but not so professional that the little rascals think that you’re some pompous idiot they imported from the nearest university.” Juno blinked in surprise. 

  


“Um. Yeah, pretty much that exactly,” he said. Okay, maybe Vicky did know what she was talking about. 

  


“Perfect.” Duke grabbed a spray bottle and started, wetting Juno’s hair down before grabbing his comb, dividing it into sections. 

  


“So, Rose, huh? Is that some crazy coincidence?” Juno gestured vaguely to the wallpaper, which he could, now that he was closer, see that the gold designs were actually an intricate pattern of roses and thorns.

  


“No, no coincidence. I own the place,” he said with no little amount of pride in his voice. “I’ve only been up and running for about a year, but I think I’m doing alright for myself, personally.” 

  


“Yeah, probably a better salary cutting hair than teaching,” Juno remarked as Duke continued to study his hair, twisting bits of it around and frowning, trying to decide where exactly to start. 

  


“Let’s see,” Duke said, more to himself than anything else. He leaned down so that his head was right next to Juno’s, that they were staring at each other in the mirror. He was grateful for the cape covering his lap, for his fists balled up beneath it in his effort to not show any outward reaction to the sudden proximity. “I’m thinking we take it down right here, fade it to about  _ here _ ... and then leave  _ this _ part nice and long.” As he spoke, his slender fingers trailed across the sides of Juno’s face, brushing along his cheekbones, and then entangled into the hair at the crown of Juno’s head, tugging ever so slightly at the part he wanted to keep long. “What do you think about that, Mister Steel?”

  


Juno’s brain felt like it was made of tapioca pudding. “Yeah, that sounds good,” he choked out. “Worst case scenario, I shave my head when I get home.”

  


Duke chuckled, and stood up straight, grabbing his comb and a tiny pair of scissors from his apron. “Let’s hope it won’t come to that, hm? It would be a shame to lose all this pretty hair.” He started trimming the sides of Juno’s hair with small, precise motions, his body language relaxed but his facial features showing just how concentrated he really was. 

  


“How long have you been teaching, dear? I’m afraid I don’t have the patience for children, much less teenagers. I admire anyone who is willing to subject themselves to their presence every day.” Usually Juno hated getting haircuts because of this specifically. He hated small talk, despised it, and that seemed to be 70 percent of the process of getting haircuts. But something about Duke made him want to talk, want to open up to him. Maybe it was the warm tenor of his voice, the cologne he wore that made Juno’s head spin with its heady scent, or maybe it was how soft his hands were.

  


“About 15 years now. I used to want to be a detective actually. But, uh, shit hit the fan in a big way. So now, instead of fighting crime, I’m hoping to fix the whole damn galaxy by teaching kids about text analysis. It’s probably in vain, but it helps me sleep better at night,” Juno said. 

  


“I’m sure it helps to do more than just that,” Duke said. “I think it’s rather noble. Teaching the leaders of tomorrow, standing up against the big, mean world.”

  


“Yeah, I’m sure they feel the same way when I assign them reading over the weekend.” There’s a hint of a smile teasing at the edges of his lips. 

  


“So cynical, dear! Tilt your head for me, won’t you?” Juno did as he asked, and Duke grinned, clipping around his ears and then around the nape of his neck. “So obedient, Mister Steel. That’s always good in a client.”

  


Juno spluttered a bit, trying to come up with some witty response to Duke’s flirtations (why the  _ hell _ was he flirting with  _ Juno _ of all people?) while Duke smiled serenely, a little too smug for Juno’s liking. Eventually, he settled on, “That’s not what everyone else in this city says about me. I believe my review from last semester specifically described me as  _ dis _ obedient.” 

  


“Then I suppose I’m just lucky, hm? Put your chin down.”

  


Juno, as much as his intinct wanted to fight back and be a bit of a brat about it, knew that that was a dumb idea during a haircut. So he obeyed, much to Duke’s pleasure, he imagined.

  


“Is that how you get your sick kicks, then? Making clients sit still while you dance around them with sharp objects?”

  


“Something like that,” Duke said from behind him, and Juno couldn’t see him, but he could just perfectly picture those sharp teeth poking out from underneath his lips. “Now tell me, what do you think about throwing some color in here? Nothing too crazy, just something subtle to... brighten things up. You have a terribly dreary demeanor,” he teased. 

  


“Why, do you want to cover up my greys?”

  


Duke gasped, and Juno felt a rush of air that he assumed was Duke’s hand flying up to his chest theatrically. “Juno! Not at all. I’m offended you would assume such a thing. I simply want to add more depth, that’s all.” Both of his hands returned to Juno’s head, tilting it to the opposite side to trim his sides there. “Besides,” he continued, his voice lower, more casual. “I think they’re sexy.” 

  


Juno scoffed. “How do you know Vicky?” he asked, his nosiness getting the best of him. 

  


“Oh, she’s simply a client I’ve grown closer to in the past few months. You?”

  


“Old friend. Just asking because you seem to have a similar business practice to some of her Vixens. Thought you might have been a former employee.”

  


Duke’s smile grew wicked. “Are you calling me a whore?”

  


“That depends, would you like it if I were?” Juno asked.

  


Duke threaded his fingers into Juno’s curls, tugging gently to pull his head back to an upright position and beginning the fade from his sides to the long portion on top. “If I say yes, will you give me a better tip?”

  


Juno couldn’t help himself; Duke was funny, yes, but it was also nerves that made him laugh. He leaned forward as he let out a small, breathy giggle that was a little choked around the edges. Duke’s grip on his hair hadn’t relaxed, and he ended up yanking on Juno’s hair. Oops. 

  


Duke tutted. “Oh, do hold still for me, Juno. As interesting of a statement as a giant bald spot on the back of your head would be, I’d like to make a lasting impression on you some other way.”

  


“Sorry about that,” Juno said, shoulders shaking a little with laughter still. “I’ll try to be more obedient.”

  


“Good girl. I’ll give you a treat later when we’re done if you keep this up. Would you prefer a milk bone or some rawhide?” Duke grabbed his comb once more, pulling Juno’s longer section of hair back and trimming his many, many split ends off, the curls bouncing back once he released them. 

  


“I’m personally partial to a bit of peanut butter on a spoon. Maybe some whiskey if you’re feeling generous.”

  


“A lady of culture, I see,” he said, ruffling Juno’s hair a bit to see how it naturally fell. He furrowed his brow and spun the chair a little to trim a strand that was falling at an awkward angle.

  


They fell into an easy silence as Duke fussed around Juno’s head, trimming and fixing and adjusting. It wasn’t awkward, not by any means, and Juno found that he actually enjoyed watching Duke work. He was quick, yes, but his work was clean and professional. After a while, he stepped back, seemingly satisfied. Juno couldn’t really see the final product; his hair was wet and falling into his face. 

  


“Now, for your color, I was thinking purple would complement your skin tone nicely,” Duke proposed. 

  


“You’re the master hairdresser.”

  


“Indeed. I’ll be right back, darling, hold tight.” And with that, Duke turned on one heel and walked towards a shelf on a wall across the salon where Juno assumed the dyes and bleaches and such were. He took the opportunity to pull out his comms. There was a message from Vicky. 

  


_ Vicky _

_ \- hows it going? was he as good as i said he would be or is he better? _

  


Self absorbed bitch. Juno smiled. 

  


_ Juno _

_ \- actually, he just shaved my head, spit on me, and then threatened to kill my whole family _

_ \- so yeah, better _

  


_ Vicky _

_ \- told u _

  


_ Juno _

_ \- is he always this flirty or am i just special? _

  


Vicky didn’t respond for a very long minute, the bubble that indicated she was typing popping up and then disappearing several times. Then, finally-

  


_ Vicky _

_ \- be careful with that one, steel. hes nice and all, but hes slippery. theres a 90% chance everything coming out of that pretty mouth of his is a lie. tread with caution.  _

  


What the hell? 

  


Before he had a chance to even begin to unpack what the hell that meant, Duke was back, arms laden with different bottles and tubes. “Now, I was thinking we could do primarily eggplant, it would really bring out those gorgeous eyes of yours.” He set down his supplies at his station, then turned to face Juno, excitement alive in his eyes. “Then of course, a few streaks of lavender and mulberry to keep things interesting, to provide that contrast.” He leaned forward, playing with Juno’s hair, twisting a curl around his pointer finger. “I know this might all sound a little too out of the box. Would that be too much for you? It would all be very subtle, of course.”

  


Juno barely processed anything Duke said, still reeling from Vicky’s text. “Yeah, that sounds great,” he responded, an autopilot answer. It seemed to convince Duke because he clapped his hands together in delight. 

  


“Wonderful! I’m so excited, Juno, I’m practically shaking in my designer boots.” A quick glance downwards told Juno that his boots were, in fact, designer. He didn’t know what else he expected. Duke pulled out some little bowls and started mixing together powders and creams. “This is a very gentle dye, semi-permanent, so it should fade in a month or so. I promise your hair won’t fall out.”

  


“What if it does fall out?” Juno asked as Duke pulled on some gloves and started lathering the dye on a strand of his hair. 

  


“Then you can feel free to sue me for everything I have,” he said, grabbing a sheet of foil and wrapping it around that strand. “Though I would be terribly heartbroken if you did, darling.”

  


“Oh, don’t worry, I can’t afford a lawyer,” he reassured Duke. 

  


“Excellent. Now sit still for me, will you, love? You were so good for me earlier, I know you can do it again.” 

  


They fell into that same silence from before where Duke lost himself in the process and Juno just watched him in his element. But he had something else far more pressing on his mind. What did Vicky mean by ‘slippery’? And what  _ lies _ was he telling Juno? Actually, the more he thought about it, Duke Rose hadn’t told him shit about himself besides that he owned the salon and hated kids. Meanwhile, he’d managed to get Juno to tell him about his job, about his failed stint as a cop, his ambitions in life and moral compass, and his penchant for whisky. 

  


Huh. Maybe slippery  _ was _ a good word for Duke. 

  


Once he was finished, Duke stepped back and peeled off his gloves, leaving Juno with a head full of tinfoil. “Alright, we’re going to give that about 30 minutes and then rinse it out, now excuse me, darling, I’ve made an awful mess and I need to tidy up.” The ‘awful mess’ was the now empty bowls of dye and the one sheet of foil on the floor that he’d accidentally dropped. He took the bowl and his brushes and such and walked them over to a sink in the back of the salon, giving Juno the opportunity to pull out his comms once more.

  


_ Juno _

_ \- what do u mean???? _

  


_ Vicky  _

\-  _ cant you figure that out for yourself, detective? _ _   
  
_

_ Juno _

_ \- okay, 1, not a detective, 2, dont rub salt in the fifteen yr old wound, 3, i need to know if hes a murderer or if he just has a reputation for cheating _

  


_ Vicky _

_ \- i dont know for sure. i just know that nothing he has told me about himself is true, and that i cant find his name anywhere in any records _

  


Oh. Now  _ that _ was intriguing. 

  


_ Vicky _

_ \- hes a real good hairdresser though, ill give him that.  _

_ \- flirt all you want, steel, just tread with caution and dont say i didnt warn ya _

  


Juno was in the middle of typing out another message when the little green dot next to her name disappeared. Rita had told him a while ago that that meant the person had gone offline. He huffed as he stuffed his comms back into his pocket. Typical. 

  


Duke returned then, putting his now-clean supplies back. “Well, we have some time to kill, Juno, you-”

  


Juno didn’t wait for Duke to finish his sentence. “Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself, Rose?” he asked, trying his damn best to keep his tone laid-back and as non-suspicious as possible. 

  


Duke hoisted himself easily up on top of the counter of his station, crossing his legs elegantly. “Well, what would you like to know, dear? I’m an open book.” 

  


“How long have you lived on Mars? I know just about everyone around here, and I’ve never heard your name until yesterday,” Juno asked. He winced internally at how his teacher's voice was starting to come out in his tone. It was just a thing that happened when he started asking questions, a years old habit that nothing could really kick. It tended to make first dates awkward when the other person suddenly felt like a 16 year old caught cheating on a test, but Duke didn’t seem aware, or if he noticed he didn’t care. 

  


“Not too long, I moved here just a year ago. I’m not usually one for setting up shop in one place and staying there, but I find I’ve rather taken a liking to Mars. I take it you’ve lived here a while, Mister Steel, you seem to know your way around,” Duke replied, and maybe Juno was just paranoid, but he seemed like he was deflecting, trying to pry more out of Juno than talk about himself. 

  


“Yeah, I’ve been around the block. I just think it’s odd, usually people are dying to leave Mars instead of coming to it from what I’ve seen.” 

  


“Oh, but this planet is so stunning, Juno! Surely even you can see that. The rolling red sands reminds one of a warm summer’s day, and the neon lights that paint every street corner are-”

  


“Did you do theatre in high school? You seem like a theatre kid.”

  


Duke laughed. “I was homeschooled, actually, but I’ve been told that if hairdressing ever fails, I’d be quite a star on the silver screen.” 

  


“Homeschooled?” Juno asked. For half a second, he sees something in his face that looks like panic, like Duke had said something wrong. But as quickly as it was there, it was gone.

  


“Yes, my mother was insistent that I receive the highest quality of education growing up, and taught me everything she knew herself,” he said. 

  


“Hm, you’re missing out. You haven’t lived until you’ve had at least four teachers try to kill you,” Juno said, and Duke, instead of laughing like he expected, instead paused and tilted his head.    
  
“...is that why you became a teacher?” he asked, and Juno knew that this wasn’t flirting, or banter, it was a genuine question. Embarrassment rose within him like gas on flame. 

  


“I mean- kinda? I guess I wanted to do better than the people before me. If I could make one kid feel happy at school, shit, even just  _ safe _ , then I know I’m doing my job right. So many of those kids go through so much at home. At this point, it’s not even about the material I teach, it’s about making sure they have someone to talk to or some adult to look up to when everything else is going to shit.” Duke was quiet for a moment, for too long of a moment, and Juno started to worry that he’d done something wrong. 

  


“You really love those little rascals, huh?” Duke said finally.

  


“Well,  _ love _ is a strong word-”

  


“Okay, fine, you care a lot about them. It’s nice to see. Someone with authentic concern for the youth that isn’t fueled by money or power or some other ulterior motive.”

  


“Was your mother like that?” 

  


Duke actually winced, and Juno was now one hundred percent sure that he’d said something terribly wrong. “She had... unorthodox methods. Now, let’s get you rinsed, hm?”

  


“Rose, I’m sorry if I hit a nerve there, I didn’t-” 

  


Duke stood and tapped Juno on the shoulder as he walked past his chair. “Follow me, love.”

  


Juno stumbled up and out of his chair, following Duke with what felt like two left feet. Duke Rose walked with a grace and confidence that Juno couldn’t dream of imitating, and Duke had done a pretty good job of flustering Juno enough that any efforts would be futile. He led the two of them to a wall of sinks (how big was this place?) and waved Juno towards a seat in front of the nearest one as he busied himself with gathering towels and bottles. He sat.

  


“Now, for your shampoo, would you prefer the floral scent or the fruit scent?”

  


“Floral, and-”

  


“Excellent choice, Juno.” 

  


“Rose, can you let me-”

  


“It’s fine, Juno,” Duke said, his voice more clipped than he’d ever heard it before. He draped a towel around his shoulders and fussed with the temperature of the water before guiding Juno’s head under the stream. He knew that what he’d said had upset Duke, and honestly? He didn’t blame the guy. His own mother wasn’t the greatest either, not by a long shot. But he suspected that trying to apologize, trying to bring all of that back up again, wasn’t the smartest idea. 

  


“So, you, uh, what... What made you want to do hair?” Juno asked. He wanted to change the subject, get Duke to start talking to him in that easy, normal way again. The stiffness in his shoulders and the rigidity of his back seemed so unlike him. 

  


“Well, I’m afraid it’s not as righteous and virtuous a reason as yours. I simply like to make people... feel good about themselves. There’s something inspiring about seeing someone transform after a good haircut. Their posture fixes itself, they get a spark in their eyes that wasn’t there before, and they have this air of self confidence about them that no drug or liquor can imitate.” There was a far-off look in his eyes as he talked, and that now-familiar smile was starting to creep back onto his lips. 

  


“Oh, I just assumed it was to impress pretty ladies like myself,” Juno said, just to hear Duke’s chuckle. 

  


“That’s certainly part of it. Is it working?” He eyed Juno with a gaze that seemed akin to a sly fox’s. 

  


“Depends on how bad this dye job turns out. I’m putting all of my trust in you right now, if I walk out looking like a clown, I’m never forgiving you.” Duke, with a regained confidence, guided Juno’s head under the stream of water.

  


“I would never,” he said, his voice smooth and sweet like honey. 

  


This was another part that Juno hated. He was never sure where to look or if he should talk during this bit, and always felt extremely awkward with a stranger washing his hair and each time he wished that they would just point him to a shower and let him do it himself. Duke seemed to sense this unease, though, and smiled down at Juno, brushing a thumb across the high point of his cheekbone. The touch was almost reverent, and it made Juno shiver, despite the warm temperature of the water. “Close your eyes darling, let me take care of you,” he muttered. 

  


Juno did as he said, because he was powerless (due to societal expectations and also being a bottom) to do anything else. 

  


Duke rinsed the dye out of his hair with delicate hands, massaging his scalp. It pulled a contented hum from deep within Juno that shocked him as much as it pleased Duke, who chuckled above him. It was the first time Juno had ever felt relaxed in a hair salon.

  


Duke paused in his ministrations to grab a bottle of shampoo, squeezing it into his palms. The floral scent, the one Juno requested. It smelled good, of course it did, but he couldn’t place it to save his life.

  


“What is that?” he asked as Duke started rubbing it into his scalp. 

  


“It’s shampoo, dearest, surely you-”

  


“I meant the scent, asshole.”

  


“Sure you did, Juno.”

  


“I hate you, actually.”

  


“You wound me, darling. It’s dahlias. They’re one of my favorites, dahlia flowers. You know, they used to not smell of anything, absolutely no fragrance, despite how extravagant their blooms are. Over time, they evolved to have a scent, and in my opinion, no bouquet is complete without them.”

  


“You have a lot of feelings about a flower,” Juno remarked. Duke’s hands were still on his scalp, and he wished for a wild moment that he could stay there in that chair forever.

  


“Not so much the flower. I think I just romanticize the idea that, no matter what you were in the past, you can evolve, and change from something people usually pass up into something wonderful and alluring.”

  


Juno made a non committal noise. “That’s a nice thought, Rose. I guess I’m still waiting on that evolution myself.”

  


“Oh, I quite disagree, Juno. I think you’re the most beautiful and fragrant dahlia this side of Mars.”

  


Juno blushed and kicked himself internally for it. 

  
  
  


\---

  


The hairdryer switched off, and Duke smirked, cocking one hip and holding the dryer aloft like a blaster as he looked down at Juno. “Take a look at yourself, darling,” he said, and with a foot, turned Juno’s seat to face the mirror. 

  


“Oh.”

  


The lady that looked back at Juno was not the same one that walked into the Rose Garden. Juno, for the first time in a while, found himself looking in the mirror and thinking that the person who looked back at him looked good. Attractive, even. Duke was right about the purple complementing his skin tone, and the cut made his face look more chiseled and it seemed to perk up his tired features. It was an odd feeling. He hadn’t felt truly secure in his appearance in a long time. Not that he tried very hard; usually he woke up, looked at himself, said ‘this probably won’t get me fired’, and then got into his car and went to Old Town High School. This hair made him want to put in a bit of effort. 

  


“What do you think, Juno?” Duke asked, brushing stray hair off of Juno’s shoulders, leaning down far enough that he could feel the warmth of his breath on the back of his neck. 

  


“It’s uh-” Juno was shocked at how tight his throat felt when he tried to speak. Was he really being brought to tears over a fucking haircut? “Damn, Rose,” he said, running a hand through his hair and marvelling at the way it bounced back, seeming healthier than before, cleaner, like years of damage were gone. “You must be a fucking wizard or something.”

  


“I actually just sold my soul to a demon a few years ago,” Duke explained, watching as Juno admired himself in a mirror. “So it’s good, then?”

  


“Yeah, it’s alright,” he said, smiling. “Thank you.”   
  


“Not a problem, darling. Follow me, we’ll take care of everything up front at the desk,” Duke said, removing the cape from around Juno’s neck. 

  


At the front desk, Duke tapped a bunch of buttons on his little tablet as Juno fished out his wallet. 

  


“How much do I owe you?” Juno asked.

  


“Oh, don’t worry your pretty little head about that.”

  


He looked up from his search to squint at Duke. “Excuse me?”

  


“Vicky booked you the appointment, so I’m putting it on her tab. Call it a teacher discount.”

  


“What? No, Rose, let me pay you, you-”

  


“Darling, your presence was payment enough. You’re the first client I’ve actually enjoyed talking to in months.”

  


That statement made Juno’s chest tighten. “Is that a lie?” he asked without thinking. 

  


Duke blinked in shock at the question. “Of course not. What would I gain by lying to you, darling?” Juno didn’t know how to respond to that without feeling his comms burn a hole in his pocket, so he decided not to. 

  


“Uh, well. Thank you,” he said awkwardly instead, and the warmth in Duke’s eyes made him want to cry. 

  


“Of course,” he said, leaning on his elbows on the counter, straining towards Juno. “I trust I’ll see you in a month when you need a trim?” 

  


“Sure thing, Rose. Maybe you’ll even let me pay for it next time.”

  


Duke laughed. “I doubt it. I’m afraid I have to get ready for another client, but it was very nice meeting you, Mister Steel.” And before he could respond to that, Duke turned and walked towards the back, leaving Juno standing there with his heart in his throat and his fists clenched in his coat pockets. 

  


He took a shaky breath and walked out of the salon, and was suddenly thrust back into Hyperion City, into the filth and dirt of it all. And, of course, he immediately stepped in a puddle of piss. Well, that was one way to deliver a wake-up call. 

  


\--

  


It wasn’t until he got home, hung up his coat, and started taking things out of the pockets so that he wouldn’t accidentally throw them into the wash that he noticed the note. It was a piece of cream stationary, folded neatly and tucked into his pocket neatly alongside his comms. He unfolded it, and was hit with that familiar scent of Duke Rose that had been invading all of his senses since the moment they met earlier in the day. In looping cursive, in a handwriting that could only be his, was written:

  


_ Juno,  _

  


_ If you wish for another glimpse of me before your next recommended color touchup, meet me at that little cafe that just opened up this Saturday. It’s around Mercury Drive, but no further than Vulcanis Way. I got a good look at you, and I do hope it isn’t my last.  _

  


_ I meant every word I said today, Juno. I think we could have quite an adventure together, and I’ll be waiting for you to join me.  _

  


_ Signed, _

_ Your Better Half _

  


A comms number was scrawled at the bottom of the page in lieu of a name, but it didn’t need one. Juno stared at the note, leaning against the wall by his front door, mouthing the words to himself as his thumb traced over the graceful curves of his letters until it grew too dark outside to see. 

  


\--

  


“Matt?”

  


“Here!”

  


“Annie?”

  


“Here.”

  


“Skye?”

  


No response. Juno looked up at the class, scanning it briefly. 

  


“No Skye? Okay, not like that’s new.” Juno ticked the ‘absent’ bubble on the form on his tablet, and sent it, quickly shoving it aside. He hated the damn thing and barely knew how to use it, and wished the office would let him do it by paper like he’d asked, but oh well. 

  


“Alright, let’s get started, hm? First off, did everyone do the reading I assigned?” A chorus of nods and ‘mm-hm’s sounded out from the classroom as Juno sat down on top of his desk, pushing aside a pile of papers to make room as he did so. 

  


“Great, well, does anyone have any questions before we begin the discussion? Yes, Rey?” He pointed to the student whose hand shot up first. 

  


“Did you get a haircut?” fae said. 

  


“No, I was attacked by a lawnmower. Any questions about the  _ reading _ , Rey?” Rey shook faer head. “Okay, that’s what I thought, anyone else? Cody?”

  


“Why is your hair a different color?” Cody asked. Juno narrowed his eyes. 

  


“About the  _ reading,  _ Cody,” he reiterated. Willow stuck their hand up, and Juno nodded towards them. “Yes, finally, thank you, Willow, what’s your question?”

  


“Oh, I just wanted to say that you look younger with your new hair.”

  


“Thank you, but you realize that’s not really a great compliment? You know that, right?”

  


Emerson spoke up. “Um, I actually did have a question about the reading...?”

  


Juno’s haircut was forgotten, thank god, and the discussion went off without a hitch. He loved teaching mainly for these days, for these open-ended talks where he was able to encourage young minds to expand and think outside the box, to make connections and watch their eyes light up when something clicked. But teaching wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, especially not 10th graders.

  


Just as he was in the middle of explaining a metaphor in the text, he caught a cloud out of the corner of his eye and turned sharply to see where it came from. “Alright, who has a goddamn vape?” The class was silent. “Tell me who has the vape or I’ll make all of you stay in for lunch.” Everyone pointed at Aster. “Thank you very much.” He stood from his desk and went to Aster’s, holding an expectant hand out. They handed it over with a sheepish look and a smile they probably thought was cute. “See me after class,” he started to say, tucking it into his pocket, but as he did so, something slipped out of his pocket. 

  


It was Duke’s note. 

  


He froze, just for a moment, but that moment was enough for Hollis, who was behind Juno, to bend down and pick it up. 

  


“Hey, give that ba-”

  


“Maybe it has the test answers!” someone shouted, and Hollis was already quickly unfolding the note, jumping on top of his desk. He held it aloft over his forehead while Juno struggled to climb up to him. He had a bad knee, okay?

  


“Hollis, get down here and give that ba-”

  


And, oh God, Hollis started reading it out loud.

  


“Juno, if you wish for another glimpse of me before your next recommended color touchup-”

  


Laughter started bubbling up from the students, and now Juno was desperate. He made it on top of the desk, but they were already jumping back onto the floor and running across the room, still reading it very,  _ very _ loudly. 

  


“-Meet me at that little cafe that just opened up this Saturday-”

  


A chorus of ‘oooh’s’ sounded out, and Juno decided that if he didn’t catch Hollis, who was running around the classroom in circles, narrowly missing Juno’s arms, that he was just going to jump out of the window.

  


“-It’s around Mercury Drive, but no further than Vulcanis Way. I got a good look at you, and I do hope- OOF!” They slipped and fell flat on their face, the note flying up into the air as they went. Juno caught it, clutching it to his chest as he heaved for breath. He glanced over and saw the culprit; Kit had their leg stuck out and had tripped Hollis mid-dash. He nodded at them. 

  


“Thank you, Kit,” he said quietly, but the entire class was already shouting over him. 

  


“Oh, that’s so  _ cute!” _ _   
  
_

“Aww, I ship it!”

  


“Where did you meet?!”   
  
“What’s her name?”

  


Juno folded the note back up and stuffed it deep inside his pocket. “First of all, it’s a ‘he’, second of all, this is none of your guys’ business!”

  


“If you tell us, we’ll stop talking about it,” Kit suggested.

  


“I doubt that highly,” Juno snapped

  


“I-... okay, that’s fair.”

  


Juno rolled his eyes. “His name is Duke Rose, and it’s nothing, and I’m probably not even going to call him, can we please focus?”

  


Tox spoke up from the back. “Is he cute?” A chorus of giggles rang out, and Juno’s face immediately turned red. 

  


“He’s a grown man, he’s not  _ cute _ -”

  


“Is he your  _ boyyy frieeennnd?”  _ Aster called out, nursing a nose that was gushing maybe too much blood. Juno couldn’t believe how flustered he felt. He was a grown man for fuck’s sake, and here he was, letting himself be  _ bullied _ by a bunch of teenagers. 

  


“Okay, okay, everyone settle down-”

  


“When are you getting married?” Lucas yelled out, and Juno suddenly felt sick. 

  


“Okay, that’s enough!” he yelled, and with how quickly the class got quiet, he figured they heard the slight tremor in his voice. “Cool. Thanks. I’m sorry for, uh, being loud. Aster, go see Vespa. Everyone else, uh, start reading the next chapter.”

  


\--

  


Juno had decided after that class that he wasn’t going to call Duke Rose, and he wasn’t going to meet with him on Saturday. He was funny, pretty, hot, made butterflies dance in Juno’s stomach, and he wouldn’t mind waking up next to him in bed, and-

  


No. No, he couldn’t trust Duke. Out of curiosity, he’d had Rita look up his name (“He’s a character in one of my students’ stories, I want to make sure they’re not plagiarizing.” “Uh huh, and this...  _ isn’t _ the cute guy who cut your hair the other day?” “Wh- no! Who- who told you that?!”) and just like Vicky, she hadn’t found anything. He’d either done something shady and had the money to wipe everything clean, or he was using a fake name that was hiding a much more sinister real name. Juno didn’t like either option very much.

  


Besides, even if Duke wasn’t already shady as all hell, the wedding dress that rotted in the back of Juno’s closet was a reminder of exactly why all of his relationships went sour. 

  


No, he wasn’t going to call him, he told himself again the next morning when he saw that note laying on his nightstand. He definitely hadn’t read it a few hundred more times before going to bed. That wasn’t why it was there. 

  


He repeated the mantra to himself that day during his break. He was supposed to be wrapping up a lesson plan he had started the day before that needed to be done, like, two weeks ago, but his comms sat there, tempting Juno, tempting him with the knowledge that it would be  _ so _ easy to pick it up and dial the number that he’d accidentally memorized-

  


Juno ended up shoving his comms in the bottom of his desk drawer for the rest of the day. Out of sight, out of mind. Allegedly. 

  


When Juno was making dinner that night for himself (i.e.; heating up old takeaway), he was firm in his resolve. He wouldn’t call Duke Rose. But, hey, it wouldn’t hurt to save his number in his comms. Just in case he ever needed... a haircut? Sure. Juno opened up his contacts, created a new one, and punched in the number like he’d done it a million times.

  


_ Name: _

  


Juno paused, staring at that blank space. Remembering his research, Vicky’s research. The way Juno felt like he had to pry any sort of personal information from him. 

  


_ Name: ??? _

  


He pressed the ‘call’ button. 

  


Juno’s lungs felt like they were going to burst inside of his chest as he waited, clutching the comms to his ear as the line rang. And rang. And rang. He probably wouldn’t even pick up. Duke Rose, or whoever the hell he was, probably had plenty of ladies lining up to call him, was probably just-

  


“Hello?”

  


The sound of his voice, that smooth timbre that had previously put Juno at such ease, nearly made him jump out of his skin. 

  


“I- uh, hi,” he said lamely, snapping a chopstick in half from how hard he was clutching it. 

  


“Juno?” He could hear the smile in his voice as he talked, a warmth seeping into his words instantly at the realization of who he was speaking to. “I was starting to think I had scared you off, dear, it’s-”

  


“Who the hell are you?”

  


There were a few moments of stunned silence before he said, slowly, carefully hand-picking his words, “This is... Duke Rose? I cut your hair the other day, dear, I thought that we-”

  


Juno shook his head, standing from his chair and pacing around his tiny little kitchen. “No, dammit, I- I know who you  _ are. _ I mean...” He took a deep breath. “What’s your name? What is it really?”

  


“Juno, I don’t-”

  


“Oh, cut the bullshit. Vicky told me that she’d looked you up, and she couldn’t find anything. I did the same thing, just to double check, and Duke Rose didn’t even exist until about a year ago. So, I’m gonna ask you again; who the hell are you?” 

  


Duke was silent for a moment, and before he could speak again, Juno started talking again, the words falling past his lips unbidden.

  


“Listen, you- you don’t have to tell me. But I really-” He squeezed his eyes shut, as if that could block out what was happening, what his brain and heart were doing. “I want to have that adventure with you that you talked about. I want it a lot. It scares me a little, how much I want it. But I can’t talk to you, I can’t  _ do that _ with you unless I can trust you. I’ve been hurt too many times for that. So you tell me what’s going on and I- I decide whether I want to try this with you, or you keep that secret and I delete your number.” 

  


Juno forced himself to close his mouth before he started rambling on even more, waiting. He was holding his comms with white knuckles and his heart pounding in his chest. He was about to put himself out of his misery and hang up when Duke spoke again. 

  


“Well, you caught me. I promise that I’m not some- some  _ master thief _ and I didn’t kill anyone, so hopefully that puts your mind at ease,” he said. “Duke Rose is a name I use for work. I’ve had one too many run-ins with creepy clients and stalkers to use my real name. It’s a matter of safety. But I’m not  _ hiding _ anything, Juno. My name is Peter Nureyev. And you can look that name up, but I assure you there’s nothing there that’s incriminating or evil.”

  


Juno just stared at his wall, and felt a sudden urge to put his entire head through it. 

  


“I was going to tell you on Saturday,” Duke, no,  _ Peter _ said. 

  


“Oh,” he said, then sighed, sinking down to sit on the floor. “I feel a little stupid,” he admitted, putting his head in his hand that wasn’t holding his comms. 

  


“No, it’s an understandable concern to have, Juno. But you... looked me up?”

  


Juno felt his face heat up. “I told you I used to want to be a detective,” he said, trying to pass it off as a joke. But the silence on the other end told him that wasn’t enough. “Vicky made me paranoid, and I thought you might’ve had a fake name to hide some awful past you didn’t want people to know about.”

  


“Juno, why is  _ that  _ the conclusion you jump to?”

  


“You haven’t been on Mars as long as I have.”

  


“I see,” Nureyev said, in a tone of voice that told Juno he didn’t see at all. “In any case, I swear to you the fake name is innocent. You’d be surprised at how many people have gotten attached, tried to follow me, asked me to marry them after one meeting. I get it, I suppose, I mainly service the wealthy and they get lonely. I think the worst one was Miss Zolotovna, I had to convince her I was married to a member of organized crime to get her to leave me alone.”

  


“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Juno said. “Anything else you lied about?” 

  


“You’re blunt. Ah, there was one thing. I never knew my mother. Or my father, for that matter. I don’t like to talk much about my upbringing, so I suppose lying about it has become a sort of habit,” Nureyev confessed.

  


And as curious as Juno was as to what  _ that _ was all about, he could hear the strain in Nureyev’s voice as he spoke, and he wasn’t about to make the man break down over the phone. He knew all about bad upbringings, and also knew that getting into his was the last thing he wanted to do. So he changed the subject.

  


“Peter Nureyev is a nice name,” he said, and could hear the smile in Nureyev’s voice when he replied. 

  


“I like the way it sounds when you say it,” he said, with something resembling wistfulness. 

  


“I think I like it better than Rose,” Juno confessed. “You sound like a real person.” 

  


“Then you’ll hate the other names I’ve used, darling.”

  


“Try me.”

  


“Rex Glass was one of the first names I used when my real name became a problem.”

  


“Okay, you’re right, I despise that.” Nureyev laughed, and it made Juno’s heart skip a beat. “My kids liked the new hair,” he said.

  


“Oh, yeah?”

  


“Yeah, they said I looked younger. Which I don’t think they realized was backhanded, but hey, it’s the thought that counts.” Nureyev chuckled, and Juno found himself smiling. 

  


“Did you tell them about the incredibly handsome man who cut it for you?”

  


“No, but I did tell them about the overly flirtatious stork that tried to fuck me in a hair salon.”

  


“You wound me, Juno dearest.” 

  


They fell into a rhythm. They traded quips and jokes and stories about Nureyev’s more difficult clients and Juno’s students that had been getting on his nerves lately. His food was abandoned in favor of going to lay in bed as they talked, closing his eyes and pretending Nureyev was laying next to him, perhaps holding his hand, and playing with his hair. 

  


“-and then she pulls out a bag of  _ raw meat _ and says, ‘Your only rule about food in the classroom is no candy, so technically I can eat this right now.’ And I’m not a hypocrite, and that  _ was _ the rule, so I could only watch as she started-” Juno cut himself off with a long, prolonged yawn. “Fuck, what time is it?” 

  


“It’s, ah, 4:17.”

  


“Are you serious?” Juno looked up at his clock and, yep, it really was four in the morning. “Fuck. Well, Nureyev, as fun as talking to you is-”   
  
“Of course, darling, you have work in the morning.”   
  
“Ugh. More like in three hours.”   
  
“Power nap?”

  


“I’ll try. Goodnight, Nureyev.”

  


“Goodnight, Juno. I’ll see you on Friday?”

  


“If I don’t die from sleep deprivation. See you then.” 

  


He hangs up, and stares at the comms in his hands for a moment before tossing it onto the sheets next to him. Juno curls up around a pillow and if he pretends that the pillow is Nureyev’s body pressed flush to his, well, that’s a secret he’ll take to the grave. 

  


\--

  


“Christ, Juno, you look awful.”   
  
“Thanks, I was hoping you would notice the new hair.”   
  
Juno leaned against the wall of the cafeteria next to Benzaiten, who looked, as usual, far better than Juno did. Sometimes Juno resented that they worked in the same school, because he had quickly become the less fit, badly dressed, more tired, and more grumpy version of Mr. Steel, the best dance teacher that Old Town High had seen in years. 

  


But then he’d remember the ice cold fear he felt when Sarah Steel had shot Benten twenty years ago, and the warm relief when Benten was released from intensive care a few days later. And then Juno couldn’t care less about whether the students compared them, because he got to see his brother every day. 

  


“Seriously, the bags under your eyes are even more intense than they usually are.”

  


Juno shrugged, glazed over eyes scanning the crowd of teenagers eating and laughing. “I just had a long night,” he said, sipping from his coffee mug. 

  


Benten’s brow furrowed. “Juno, if you’re going on benders again, you-”

  


“What? No! No, that- no. It wasn’t anything like that. I just stayed up too late.”

  


Benten relaxed a little, but still looked wary. “If you say so. What were you really doing then?”

  


“You’re not my dad.”

  


“Tell me what you were doing or I tell Buddy that you’re drinking again.”

  


“Fucking hell, okay, okay, I was- um.” Juno felt his face redden, and he hid it into his coffee mug. “I was on the phone with someone.”

  


“Oh?” Juno is pointedly avoiding eye contact, but he can just fucking hear Benten’s smirk. 

  


“Yeah, I was, uh, I got caught up. Lost track of time. Anyways, um, have you decided what the final is gonna be for your period two class?”

  


“Nuh-uh. You are not getting out of this one that easy. Who were you talking to?”

  


Juno grimaced. “If I tell you, will you lay off?”   
  
“Probably not.”

  


“Ugh. Fine. His name is-” Juno scrambled for a second to land on which name to choose before deciding to play it safe. “-Duke? Duke Rose.”

  


“Duke Rose? That’s a fake name.”

  


“No, it isn’t,” Juno lied. 

  


“Whatever you say. Where’d you meet the fella?”

  


“Don’t call him that again, and he’s the one that cut my hair.”   
  


Benten tutted, shaking his head. “That’s a mistake. You guys are gonna break up and he’s gonna give you a terrible haircut while you’re sleeping.”   
  


“Well, first of all, we’re not even dating-”   
  


“How late did you stay up talking to him?”

  


“...4 AM.”

  


“Damn, Juno. If you aren’t dating now, then you will be soon.”

  


“Shut up, Benzaiten.”

**Author's Note:**

> pwease comment!! and lmk if youd like to see more of this AU bc i have So Many Ideas


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